OK, I get it now. I understand why Daniel Craig was chosen as the new James Bond, it all makes sense after seeing the crime thriller Layer Cake. The movie is about an intellectual drug dealer struggling to get out of the drug business now that he has made his money. Unfortunately, his boss has other plans and assigns Craig's unnamed character to sell some stolen pills and locate the missing daugther of a business partner. From that point forward, characters flip flop loyalties, several parties stake claim to the pills at once and everyone expects to get paid. Director Matthew Vaughn infuses the film with an energetic visual style and successfully pulls from other movies such as The Usual Suspects, Trainspotting and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels without copying them outright. The movie creates an atmosphere of immediate realism and flashy visuals to keep the audience both excited and tense.
In the center of it all is Daniel Craig's character. Everything hinges on the believeability and likeability of Craig's nameless dealer and Craig comes through with a charismatic performance. Craig creates a full portrait of the character with his purposeful stride, steely glare and deliberate tone of voice. When under pressure, Craig shows agitation and nervousness where other actors may have chosen a more macho style. The tension from watching Craig analyze situations and devise counterattacks to his setbacks with a sense of ruthlessness brings promise to his upcoming Bond performance. The ending has many twists that lead to a shocking conclusion. Let's hope Craig is able to continue his role through Casio Royale. Layer Cake is an 8 out of 10.
And now, the Number 87 CD:
Nirvana - Nevermind (1991)
In the 80's, I was often ahead of the curve in terms of finding out about breaking artists before they hit the mainstream. It's not that I'm incredibly intuitive, I was in college at the time and many artists tended to become college radio favorites before hitting it big. Even Guns 'N' Roses fit this pattern, I listened to them for months before "Sweet Child O' Mine" became a hit. One band that, for me, did not fit this pattern was Nirvana.
When Nirvana broke in 1991, no one had seen or heard anything quite like this. On top of their sudden success, Nirvana ushered in a change in rock music on a scale I had not seen before or since. Abruptly, all the sorry third generation hair metal bands were swept aside and replaced with dark, murky Grunge bands like Nirvana or Alice In Chains. I bought Nirvana based on the hype, I wanted to hear what everyone else was hearing.
Nirvana brought a musical revolution as rock became the dark, angry music of disenfranchised youth who felt lied to by Reganomics and George Bush version 1.0. Kurt Cobain unwittingly became the voice of Generation X, his lyrics of self loathing and doubt connecting with an audience who felt they were promised the American Dream and were handed job applications to temp agencies.
The sound was Pixie's influenced post punk, tightly coiled rhythms switching from soft verses to loud chorsus topped with screechy desperate vocals. The big hit, "Smells Like Teen Spirit", became a rock classic with its revved up Boston riff and nonsensical lyrics. The vocal sounds drained and druggy in the verses but angry and apoplectic in the famous chorus ("With the lights out, it's less dangerous, here we are now...").
Alienation and sarcasm permeate the rest of the album. "Come As You Are" and "In Bloom" describes the paranoia of being different from others (The "No I don't have a gun" line stands out in memory). Drugs seem to influence much of the songwriting, nowhere is that more evident than the extreme mood swings in "Lithium". Much of the second half of the album is chock full of post punk rockers like "On A Plain" and "Territorial Pissings". The album closes with the slow, downbeat "Something In The Way."
I considered commenting on Kurt Cobain's suicide, but in the end felt it may be best just to leave it alone. After all, Cobain's death does not change what was done during his life and for a brief period he was a respected songwriter and magnetic performer.
At the time this album was released, I was close to finishing college and interning at a TV station. I felt my life was going nowhere at the time, which made this album easy to relate to at that moment. Although it may not be what Cobain intended, his music stood up for the outsider in everyone and anyone who has been smacked down by life.
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